


Eddie Five-0

by osointricate, pterawaters



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: F/M, M/M, POV Outsider, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 14:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18780238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/osointricate/pseuds/osointricate, https://archiveofourown.org/users/pterawaters/pseuds/pterawaters
Summary: While Eddie is technically Steve’s dog, unofficially he belongs to the entire Five-0 family. He’s with them for first kisses and break ups. He hears their secrets, comforts them, and helps them fight crime. This is the story of Eddie, a very good boy.





	Eddie Five-0

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the [2019 Hawaii Five-0 Big Bang](https://h50bigbang.tumblr.com/)! The incredible art was done by [racoon_sa](https://racoonsa.tumblr.com/)! Thank you!!!

 

The room started to smell like tension before either of the people in it said anything. Eddie didn't like it. He got up out of his bed and went to the door, but Steve didn't notice him. Steve’s attention was on Lynn, instead.

“What just happened?” Steve used his asking-Eddie-a-question tone of voice, but he wasn't looking at Eddie. He was asking Lynn something, but Eddie didn't understand what.

“I got a text from Melissa,” Lynn said, turning in the bed and putting her feet on the floor. “Asking me how well I’m dealing with your radiation sickness. _Radiation sickness_?!” Lynn’s voice went so high it hurt Eddie’s ears. He whined, but Steve didn't look at him.

“It’s nothing, Lynn. Really. I’m fine.” Steve’s breath was too even for the jumping around of his heartbeat. Eddie knew that Steve breathed differently from other people sometimes. Anyone else who smelled like he did would be breathing unevenly. Not Eddie’s Steve.

“Even if you are fine, you should have told me. You never tell me anything.”

“I tell you things,” Steve said. Eddie could tell it was a lie. Sometimes Steve lied to the other humans, but he never lied to Eddie, especially not about treats. Eddie left the door and walked over to the bed, putting his head on the covers next to Steve’s hand.

“Nothing important.” Lynn sounded sad. Eddie wondered if she wanted him to lick her fingers to cheer her up. “Nothing that matters. After all this time, you still don’t trust me.”

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t trust anyone.” Steve put his hand on Eddie’s head and scratched behind his ear.

Lynn laughed, but it didn't sound right. “You trust so many people, Steve. Maybe you hold them at arm’s length sometimes, but you trust them. I think–” She made a funny sound in her throat that Eddie didn’t like at all. “I think you have a problem with me not having a badge, not carrying a gun.”

The scratches behind Eddie’s ear stopped. He tried pushing his head into Steve’s hand, but it didn’t work.

“Lynn…”

“No, I’m– I’m gonna go.”

Lynn stood up and started picking things up from around the room. At first Eddie got excited, because when someone got out of bed, that usually meant they were about to take him for a walk. Except Steve always came with on Lynn-walks and he wasn’t moving. Lynn left the room and Steve still didn’t move.

Eddie couldn’t tell what Steve was looking at, besides the wall of the bedroom. Eddie liked to stare at that wall sometimes, too.

The smell in the room changed again. It reminded Eddie a little bit of the way the cemetery smelled when they put Lazio in the ground. It definitely wasn’t a happy smell. Eddie decided the best course of action was the jump up onto the bed (even though it wasn’t allowed), and let Steve hug him.

Eddie was right about that smell, because Steve held on tight and didn’t ask Eddie to get off the bed for a long, long time.

* * *

 

When the door opened, Eddie hoped it would be Steve. It felt like it had been weeks since Steve had come home. Junior took good care of him, but Steve belonged here too. Eddie didn't understand where he could have gone for so long.

He was only a little disappointed when it was Tani behind the door. Tani always brought Eddie treats, and today was no different. The cookie was good, and Eddie loved being spoiled, but he wanted something peanut butter. Eddie loved peanut butter.

Junior and Tani sat at the eating table while Eddie had his treat, drinking that coffee stuff and talking. Eddie recognized some of the words, but their tones were soft so he didn’t pay too much attention. He did perk up his ears when Tani said, “Steve.”

“Just that call a few days ago,” Junior told her. “Montana. Not the place I would’ve picked to hide out.”

“Why not? It’s remote, hard to get to.” Tani reached down, scratching Eddie under the collar. Eddie loved when someone remembered to scratch under his collar. He loved Tani.

“It’s cold half the year,” Junior said, which made Tani laugh and take her hand away, pushing it against Junior’s shoulder instead.

“The big bad SEAL can’t handle a little cold?”

The rhythm of Junior's heartbeat picked up, and he looked down at Eddie, reaching for him. "There's handling it because you have to, and then there's subjecting yourself to it on purpose." Eddie leaned into Junior's scratches, not getting nearly enough of them lately.

"I suppose that's true." Tani reached down for Eddie, too. Maybe she could tell how few scratches Eddie had been getting since Steve went away. Why she did it didn't matter so much as the fact that she _was_ doing it.

Eddie smiled as he had two hands scratching his head. Two hands scratched behind his ears and then down toward the back of his neck, under his collar. Two hands ran into each other and suddenly the scratching stopped.

Looking up, Eddie saw that kisses were happening! Eddie loved kisses! He licked the bottom of Tani's chin.

She sat back, her eyes wide, and wiped her chin with the back of her hand. “Ooookay. That was– Uh, yeah. I’m gonna go.”

Go? What happened to the scratches and the kisses? Eddie whined at Tani, letting her know that he didn’t want her to go.

“Sorry, buddy,” she said, not even patting Eddie before leaving the house.

Once she was gone, Junior sighed. “Damn.”

Eddie put his head in Junior’s lap and looked up at him, worried at the tone of his voice.

Junior put his hand back on Eddie’s head, petting him more than scratching. Petting was good too. “I don’t know what I was thinking, boy. It seemed like the right thing to do.” He either again, and he smelled sad. “Guess not.”

Eddie licked Junior’s leg.

Junior laughed. “Yeah, okay buddy. It’s just a silly mistake. It’ll be fine.” Standing up, Junior asked Eddie, “Hey. How about we go for a run?”

Run! Eddie loved to run!

* * *

 

Eddie was used to being at different houses all the time.  Steve was his guy, for sure, but there were others that took care of him.  He had beds in half a dozen houses all over the island, and he liked his situation thank you very much.  It meant more people. It meant Steve had lots of family. Steve deserved lots of family.

But right now he was at Danny’s house.  Danny’s house meant little humans. Grace loved it when Eddie curled up at the end of her bed while she read her books or was on her computer.  Charlie loved throwing toys for him to chase and bring back in a good, old-fashioned, game of fetch.

When Charlie was around it also meant human food from the dinner table.  He’d always sneak him green things for Eddie to munch on.

Charlie wasn’t here today, but Grace was.  And Will. Eddie knew Will too. Will was a bit weary of him, for some reason, and Lou and Steve had both said to be careful around Will.  Eddie didn’t know why, but the last few times he’d seen him, Will was all about the scratches behind Eddie’s ears.

But there were no scratches right now.  Grace and Will were sitting on the couch with things called flash-cards between them and Eddie was watching them patiently.  It wasn’t dinner time, not just yet, and Steve had said he wouldn’t see him until the morning… so Eddie had snuggled down into his Danny’s-house-bed and decided to babysit the mini humans.

They were doing homework - something they did all the time - and Eddie thought it looked rather boring.  Sometimes Grace would take him for a run… he was hoping she’d do that this afternoon, but that was before Will walked through the door and they pulled out those flash-cards and…

…wait.

Eddie lifted his head at the shift in the room.  They were putting away the flash-cards. They were closing their books!  He made a lazy reach for his toy - a stuffed giraffe that Danny had gotten him a long time ago - without getting up, hoping it was now play time.  But instead of reaching for Eddie’s toy, they reached for the television remote. Eddie’s hopes fell, and he chewed on the giraffe’s neck to soothe his dashed hopes.

A little time passed, and the novelty of chewing on the giraffe passed.  Eddie was drifting off into a nap, letting the television lull him into closing his eyes.

“A daytime talk show?” Will scoffed.  Eddie’s eyes snapped open.

Grace smiled, pushing against him a little bit.  “Sometimes they’re good.”

“They’re scripted.”

“That one about Five-0 wasn’t.”

“What?”

“Have you never seen that?”  Will shook his head. “The Savannah Walker show?”  Will shook his head again.

In the next instant, the television was off, and Grace was up, dashing towards her room.  Eddie lifted his head and watched her turn the corner. As quick as she was gone, she was back again, this time with her laptop in her hand.

She sat it on the table in front of the couch and opened it with glee on her face.  Eddie felt his tail shift at the look on her face.

“You’re going to die,” Grace told him.

Eddie was instantly worried.  What was Grace going to show him?  We were supposed to be careful around Will!  He got up, walked around the table, and sat staring up at Grace, ready for whatever was about to happen.  Grace only reached out and absently scratched his chin while sounds started from the laptop.

“What is this?” Will asked.

“Just watch!” Grace said, sitting back.

More time passed, both of the mini humans focused on the laptop, but Eddie didn’t understand what was so interesting about-

That was when he heard Steve’s voice.  He perked up, first looking towards the door, and then around the room, before realizing it was just the computer.  It was just pictures of Steve. Sadness hit like a wave and he laid down at Grace’s feet.

Eddie sat and listened - listened to the pictures of Steve, sometimes of Danny, and of the job.  Eddie was good at his job. He could have helped, had he been there.

He also listened to Grace and Will laugh and comment how ridiculous things were.  The sun was going down outside and Eddie knew he wasn’t going to get to go for a run tonight.  Eventually, the pictures ended, and Grace sat forward and closed the laptop while Will sat forward and rubbed his eyes.

Eddie wanted to jump up and comfort him, but he also knew he had to be careful around Will.  Besides, Grace was on it.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

Will shook his head.  “The fact they do… they do that stuff.”

“Yeah…” Grace said, a bit sad.  Eddie pushed up and sat, waiting to see if he was needed.  “It’s nice that you get it. That it’s your dad too.”

Will looked up with a grin.  “Yeah. The other kids don’t really get it.”

Grace shook her head.  “Nope.”

They were staring at each other, sadness seemingly gone, and they were leaning forward and-

Those were kisses!

Eddie liked kisses!

Eddie wanted kisses!

Eddie rushed forward and started licking their faces, caught up in the moment of joy and his tail shook his hind quarters when both mini humans started laughing at the action.  He kept licking Grace’s face, because he knew she liked it, and she clutched his head with a giggle.

“Eddie!” Will groaned.

“Oh, don’t be mad at him!” Grace said.  Then she turned to him and scruffed the sides of his head.  “He’s a good dog.”

Just then the front door opened and both mini humans jumped at the action.  It was Danny! And Charlie! And they had food bags! This was the best! This was great!

Eddie ran around the room, excited, unable to make up his mind on who he wanted to greet first, and eventually went for Charlie who squealed and started running through the house.  

“Hey Danno!” Grace greeted.

“Mr. Williams,” Will nodded.

“Hey guys, Lou said you were here, you wanna stay for dinner?  I got enough.”

“That sounds great, Mr. Williams!” Will said.  Then he reached for Eddie first - for the first time in Eddie’s memory - scratched behind his ears and leaned down to his level to whisper, “You saved us, Eddie.”

Grace only giggled again, so Eddie figured it was a good thing.

Eddie was good at saving people.

* * *

 

Eddie was asleep when the front door opened, drawing his attention. He expected to see Junior, because Steve was already at home, working in the kitchen. Whatever he was making, it didn’t appeal to Eddie, so he’d mostly ignored it. Instead of Junior, it was Danny at the door. Even though he was still half asleep, Eddie got up to greet Danny. He got a pat on his head, but it wasn’t a very good greeting.

So, when Danny followed the scent of cooking into the kitchen, Eddie followed him, hoping for better scratches. After all, he knew Danny was one of the best scratchers he’d ever met.

“Hey,” Danny said, and Steve’s heartbeat went a little faster at the sound. “What was so urgent?”

“Try this,” Steve replied, stirring the pot on the stove a few more times before scooping something out of it and holding the spoon in Danny’s direction. Eddie didn’t care for the smell it made, but he still got ready to lap up anything that dripped on the floor. It was one of his most sacred duties as only dog of the house.

Instead of tasting the food Steve offered him (maybe Danny didn’t like how it smelled either), Danny put his hands on his hips. “Really? This is the big emergency? You had me come all the way over here just to taste something?”

Steve looked at him for a moment before nodding his head. “Yeah.”

“I thought this whole restaurant thing was my recipes, your face up front, you know?” Danny complained, but he still ate whatever it was Steve had on that spoon. “Oh, that’s nice. What is that?”

“Sauce for my own special fettuccine,” Steve said, taking the spoon back and dipping it back into the pot for another taste. “And what’s the fun of calling it ‘Steve’s’ if we don’t have at least one of my recipes on the menu?”

“We’re not calling it Steve’s.” Danny leaned against the counter next to Steve, bumping Steve with his shoulder. “We can put your fettuccine on the menu, though.”

“Thanks.”

Eddie watched Steve smile at Danny and Danny smile at Steve and no one was paying attention to him! They started leaning even closer together and Eddie decided he was done waiting.

He needed scratches now!

He pressed his head between Steve’s hip and his hand, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Steve laughed (it wasn’t his normal, happy laugh, but Eddie couldn’t place what sort of laugh it was) and scratched behind Eddie’s ear. “I didn’t forget about you, boy.”

Letting out a huff, because obviously Steve did forget him, Eddie pressed his head harder against Steve and wagged his tail.

Danny cleared his throat, and his heart was beating much faster than it had been a few minutes before. “Um, yeah. Sorry, but I should go. Melissa and I were kind of … on a date.”

“You were on a date?” Steve asked, getting behind Eddie’s other ear with his other hand. “Why did you come over if you had a date?”

“You said it was an emergency!” Danny’s voice was getting loud, which usually made Eddie nervous. However, he recognized the smile on Danny’s face, and the way he didn’t smell angry at all. This loud voice was one of those happy voices. Danny was happy!

Wanting to celebrate that happiness, Eddie bounded over to Danny, putting his head between Danny’s hands. See, Danny knew what to do when he was asked to pet someone. He went ahead and petted them while he had his conversation, not after. “Did you just want to see me?”

“What? No!” Now it was Steve’s heartbeat that sped up. “I honestly just wanted you to taste the fettuccine sauce at just the right time.”

“Sure.” Danny gave Eddie a few more scratches and pats before he stood up and headed out of the kitchen. Eddie followed him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Steven.”

“Goodbye, Daniel!”

Danny left the house and he didn’t even take Eddie for a walk! Pouting, Eddie wandered back into the kitchen. He gave Steve a look, and when Steve saw him, he stopped stirring his food. “I’m sorry, buddy. I’ll take you out in a minute, okay?”

Eddie wagged his tail and headed for the mud room. He knew just how to nose his leash off the hook in there. He grabbed the leash in his teeth and brought it back to Steve. When Steve took it and attached one end to Eddie’s collar, Eddie knew he was definitely going for a walk! A walk!

* * *

 

Eddie was bored. Usually when he stayed overnight at Danny's house, Grace and Charlie were there, too. Charlie liked to play. Grace liked to take Eddie for runs. They weren't there.

Melissa was there.

Melissa didn't like Eddie, and Eddie didn't like her either. She acted like prey, and then shouted at him when he thought she was trying to play a game. He knew better than to bite anyone except a bad guy, but sometimes when Melissa shouted, it made it hard for Eddie to remember that she wasn't a bad guy. Danny liked her, which made her a good guy.

If she was such a good guy, why did she exile Eddie out of the bedroom? She closed the door and now he was lying here on the cold, hard floor of the hallway. What was he supposed to do? Go lay on the couch? It was so far away from Danny out on the couch! How was Eddie supposed to protect him from way over there?

Eddie sighed, putting his chin on the floor. Danny and Melissa were making noises in the bedroom. Eddie recognized the noises from when Lynn was still around. She used to make Eddie wait on the other side of a closed door, too. Eddie hadn't seen Lynn in a long time, and he was kind of okay with that fact. If she showed up again, Eddie wouldn't mind getting pets and kisses from her, but he didn't miss her the way he missed Steve when he wasn't around.

Steve hadn't been around for a few days, and Eddie missed him terribly. Junior and Danny had been taking care of him, but it just wasn't the same. Steve saved Eddie when he was hurting after being shot. Steve took Eddie home and loved him when Eddie needed a home and needed love. Junior was great. Danny was great. Steve was the best.

From the other side of the door, Eddie heard Danny groan like he was in pain. Eddie lifted one of his ears, listening to make sure Danny didn't need him. The only thing that happened was Danny murmuring, "Oh, god, Steve…"

Steve! Eddie got to his feet. Was Steve coming home? Where was Steve? Was Danny talking to him on the phone? Eddie couldn't smell him, aside from the traces left from the last time he'd slept on Danny's couch.

Rather than get any answers about Steve, Eddie heard Melissa instead. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing," Danny tells her. "I don't know."

"Did you just say 'Steve' while you were making love to me?"

Danny scoffed, like he did when he was trying to convince Charlie not to be afraid of the dark. Eddie didn't understand what Melissa was afraid of. There was light coming under the door from Danny's room. "No! I definitely did not do that. Also, who calls it 'making love' anymore? What are we sixty?"

"You're a lot closer to sixty than I am," Melissa said, and her voice sounded like anger. Eddie paced around the hallway. What if she tried to hurt Danny and Eddie wasn't there to stop her? Eddie could hear her feet hitting the floor. "I heard what I heard, Daniel."

"I'm just worried about him, about what he'll do now that he's lost Joe."

"That's bullshit," Melissa said, and Eddie couldn't stand being on this side of the door. He pawed at the lever, pulling it down and unlatching the door. Melissa spared Eddie a glance before turning back to Danny. “You don’t say someone’s name like that, at _that_ time if you’re just worried about them! Is something going on between the two of you?” She picked up some clothes and started putting them on.

Eddie noticed that Melissa wasn’t being aggressive toward Danny, but she was speaking very loudly. Deciding he’d better protect Danny just in case, Eddie put himself between the two of them. When Danny noticed Eddie, he petted his head once and then reached for his clothes as well. Even after all this time living with people, Eddie still didn’t understand their clothes.

“Well?” Melissa asked, flipping her hair over one shoulder before crossing her arms. “Something is happening, isn’t it? You can’t even say that it–”

“Almost, okay!” Danny’s voice was loud too, which startled Eddie. “Something almost happened, but it didn’t. Is that what you want to hear?”

“Yes, actually,” Melissa said, picking up and putting more clothes on. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It makes doing this so much easier.” Melissa left the room, so Eddie let himself relax a little bit. The loud talking didn’t lead to anyone getting hurt, so everything must have been fine.

Except Danny followed Melissa out of the room. Eddie followed Danny.

“Will you let me drive you home at least?” Danny said to her. “You know I don’t like your neighborhood at this time of day.”

“And yet you never offered to move me in here.” Melissa picked up the bag thing she carried around everywhere and put her feet into her shoes. “Don’t worry about it, Danny. I’ll get used to not having you around. You might as well start getting used to not having me around.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Real cute.”

Melissa left and Danny stood there at the doorway, watching her go. The fresh night air coming into the house smelled amazing, so Eddie stood next to Danny, leaned against his leg, looked up at him, and gave a pleading sort of noise. Maybe Danny would let him out. Sometimes when Steve woke up all sweaty with his heart beating fast, he’d take Eddie out on a run. It helped Steve go back to sleep sometimes. Maybe the same will be true for Danny.

Danny looked down at Eddie. "Yeah, I don't think she's coming back, buddy." He pulled Eddie a few steps away from the door by his collar, then closed it. Eddie whined in protest. What about going outside? "Don't give me that look," Danny said. "It was really only a matter of time."

He walked to the kitchen instead of all the way back to the bathroom, so Eddie followed him. There was still a chance he could convince Danny to go outside. After pouring himself something awful-smelling and taking a sip, Danny said, "I can't believe I did that, you know? What kind of insensitive monster _does_ something like that? Jesus, and now I'm talking to the dog."

Danny took another drink, and it looked like the liquid was hurting him. Why would he keep drinking it if it hurt?

"I knew I was going to break up with her," Danny continued, taking the drink with him to the living room and sitting down on the couch. He patted the cushion next to him and Eddie forgot all about going outside. He was being allowed up on the couch! "I knew I was going to do it. I just…" Danny sighed. "I wanted to talk to Steve about it first."

Eddie whined when he recognized Steve's name. Danny scratched his fingers through the fur on the back of Eddie's neck. It felt _glorious._

"Bad timing, is all. Oh, well." He raised his glass. "To the end of an era, and my likely lifelong bachelorhood."

Danny finished his drink, coughing a little, before he asked Eddie, "Wanna watch some TV, boy?"

Eddie didn't understand the question, so he shuffled forward a little and put his head in Danny's lap. Danny rubbed his hand all the way down Eddie's back. Oh, that was the stuff.

"Yeah? Me too."

* * *

Eddie's legs were pleasantly tired and his mouth was parched by the time he and Adam got back to Adam's house. The house smelled like someone besides Adam – a lady, Eddie thought – but Eddie had never met her. Pushing his way past Adam's legs, Eddie led the way to his water bowl. Adam was smart, because he understood, picking up the bowl and filling it with clear, cool water.

Adam's phone rang while he was setting Eddie's bowl down on the floor where he could reach it. He slurped greedily, the water nice and cool on his tongue and throat.

"Hey!" Adam said as he answered his phone. "How's it going?"

The voice coming from the phone was female, but Eddie always had trouble understanding words said through one of those things.

"Yeah, I'm alone," Adam said, sitting down on his couch.

Eddie barked. Adam wasn't alone!

The woman said something else, and Adam laughed, reaching for Eddie. "Just Steve's dog. I'm taking care of him while Steve, Tani, and Junior are off-island. … Yeah, a case. … No, it's going right to plan. Yeah, everyone thinks we broke up."

Getting sleepy, Eddie finished a few more slurps of water, and then climbed up onto Adam's lap.

"Yeah, Danny especially. He even came over to talk me down. Apparently I'm good at playing distraught."

The voice on the other end of the phone was warm, which was good. Adam was Eddie's friend. He deserved someone who talked to him with that tone.

Adam smiled, pushing his fingers through Eddie's fur. "I think your cover is good to go. I know Steve talks to Chin on a regular basis. Word will get to him sooner or later."

After a pause, Adam laughed. "Yeah, I'm not looking forward to that call either. You're sure we can't let Chin in on the plan?"

Eddie sighed, content enough for now, even though he wished he was at home with Steve and Junior.

"I wish I could be your backup," Adam said and he seemed like he was missing someone too. Eddie licked his hand. "I know it wouldn't give you an in with those guys. Just tell me Perkins won't let anything happen to you."

Adam sighs. Eddie sighs too. It's too quiet here.

"I know you do. I love that about you. … I love you, too. Stay safe."

When he hung up the phone, Adam said to Eddie, "What do you think, boy? Can you keep a secret?"

Eddie didn't know what Adam was asking him, but he liked the attention. He also liked the hug Adam gave him, pressing his head against Adam's, because Eddie knew humans need that sort of hug sometimes. Especially when they smelled sad like Adam did right then.

Pulling back, Adam said, "What do you think, Eddie? A little TV before we start making dinner?"

Eddie's ears perked up and he smiled at the mention of "dinner"! That was one of his favorite words!

* * *

It was late afternoon when Eddie heard an unfamiliar car pull up outside the house. He hoped it was Steve, because he could really use some time outside. Maybe even a walk. That would be great! Eddie got excited. He jumped up from his bed and went to the door, wagging his tail as he waited.

Outside, he could hear Steve's voice saying, "No, come on in! Let me feed you. I've got everything for a nice fettuccine. You know, that one you like." His key fit in the lock and turned, and then the door opened. Eddie wagged his tail and smiled at Steve, bumping into his legs so he would be sure to notice Eddie. He noticed that Steve smelled a little weird, but didn't think much of it, because at least Steve was _here_.

Danny came into the house behind Steve, closing the door while Steve knelt down and gave Eddie an awesome petting, scratching behind both of his ears at once. Eddie smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the attention.

"You want out, boy?" Steve smiled at him, his eyes kinda sleepy looking, and his steps kind of wobbly as he walked through the house and opened the back door.

Eddie didn't waste any time getting outside. As he took care of his business, he heard Danny say, "What's the matter with you? Just letting him outside by himself? You don't even have a fence."

"He's a highly trained dog, Daniel," Steve replied, his voice trailing off as he walked further back into the house.

Eddie sniffed around his yard, checking out if there'd been any visitors since this morning. He didn't really notice anything special, so he decided to stretch his legs. He ran up the beach a little ways, ran back and past his yard the other way, barked at a few birds, and then came back to his yard. He found his favorite chewing stick and chewed on that for a good amount of time. After digging a few more holes and chasing away another bird, Eddie decided it was time to go back inside.

Eddie heard the TV on, so he went into the living room, finding Steve and Danny sitting next to each other on the couch. Eddie kind of wanted to sit on the couch, but he supposed he could lay down on the floor, too. He'd almost fallen asleep again when Danny spoke.

"Thanks for being in it with me, the restaurant, I mean. Even if it didn't work out in the end."

"Yeah, of course, man," Steve said, reaching forward and taking a drink out of a bottle that smelled like that beer stuff he and Junior drank sometimes. "I'm always with you."

Someone shifted on the couch, because Eddie could hear the way the leather creaked. "I've been meaning to ask you about that. Why?"

" _Why?_ " Steve laughed, which made Eddie perk up his ears a little bit. Sometimes laughing meant fun games. "I'm… You're… Ohana, you know? Family."

"You never opened a restaurant with Chin, or Kono, or anybody."

"They didn't ask me." Steve laughed again. "Why? Are you insecure?"

"No."

"Do you think because I didn't want to do the restaurant anymore that I don't want to do you?" Steve made a weird choking noise, and then said, "I mean, that I don't want to be friends with you?"

"No, that's not what I was–" There was another creaking-couch noise, which honestly Eddie could do without. It reminded him of mice and he _hated_ mice. "Wait, you want to _do_ me?"

"That's not what I said. That's not what I meant to say."

"Uh-huh."

When Steve next spoke, his voice was higher than normal, like when he'd been playing with Eddie and Eddie had accidentally stepped on him. "How's Melissa?"

"How's– How's _Melissa_?" This time it was Danny who laughed. "Steve, Melissa and I broke up over a month ago. I specifically remember telling you about how we had a huge fight and she stormed out. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

A quick motion caught Eddie's attention, so he raised his head to look at the people. Danny had a bottle with beer in one hand, held far away from Steve, with his hand on Steve's chest. "I'm not giving this back until you tell me the truth, McGarrett!"

Eddie couldn't quite tell if this was an attack on his person. Danny had never hurt Steve before, so Eddie waited and watched to make sure before he jumped in between them.

"What, are we five? Give me that back!" Steve lunged at Danny and the bottle with beer went flying across the room. The clank of it hitting the wall and then the floor startled Eddie so much that he got his feet underneath him reflexively. He turned back to make sure Steve was okay, and saw that he was on top of Danny, holding him down and looking at him.

Oh, just people stuff, then. Sighing, Eddie turned around and laid down on the floor again. Behind him, the sounds Steve and Danny were making started to resemble those closed-out-of-the bedroom sounds. Just to be safe, Eddie left the living room and climbed the stairs to the bedroom. If he was already in here, asleep, when the people came upstairs, there was no way they'd kick him out. Right?

* * *

While Eddie was napping in the corner of Steve's office, he was vaguely aware that Steve had left at some point. It didn't bother Eddie, because Steve was in and out of his office all day. Usually Eddie could hear his voice somewhere in the building, and such times were reassuring. Sometimes before he left the building without Eddie, Steve sent officer Iosua up to take Eddie for a walk and to hang out with building security until Steve came back for him.

Today, it was Junior who came for Eddie when he couldn't hear Steve anymore. At least, that's what Eddie assumed when he picked up his head and blinked sleepily at Junior when he came into the room. Junior made an expression Eddie didn't quite understand, and then asked, "Where's Steve?"

Eddie watched Junior, to make sure he figured out that Steve was not here. Wasn't he very good at seeing that? Eddie knew people weren't as good as him at smelling and hearing, but if Junior couldn't see that Steve was gone, Eddie might have to protect him from all the dangers he couldn't see.

Junior left the office, and Eddie put his head down, closing his eyes again. He heard Junior asking Jerry if he'd seen Steve, and then he tuned out their voices, slipping back into his comfortable nap.

Said nap was interrupted again when Tani came into the room, saying "--that he wouldn't answer his phone. Jerry says it's…" She paused as Junior followed her into the room, and then picked Steve's phone up off the desk. "It's still in the building."

"Why would he leave his phone?" Junior asked, and Eddie picked up on the worried tone in his voice. Why was Junior worried? What was there to be worried about?

"I don't know. Do you think something happened to him?" Tani looked over Eddie's head, through the wall toward Danny's office. "Where's Danny?"

"How did we just realize Danny isn't here either?" Jerry asked them, right before everyone left Steve's office, heading for Danny's.

All the commotion intrigued Eddie, so he followed the people into Danny's office, where Junior was picking Danny's phone off the desk and showing it to the others.

"Okay, this is not good," Tani said, looking around the room. "Lou is on vacation, so I'm pretty sure that makes me in charge." She looked at the other two people for a long moment, and Eddie noticed that her heart was racing. "What do we think? Why would they both leave their phones in their offices?"

"Turn on the lock screen," Jerry suggested, pointing at Danny's phone. "See if he got a text or anything that's still showing."

Junior did something to the phone and showed it to the others.

Tani shifted, putting her hand on her hip. "Why would a question mark from Steve make Danny abandon is phone here on his desk?"

"It must be the end of a longer string of texts!" Jerry motioned for the phone, and Junior gave it to him. "Does anyone know his passcode?"

The others shook their heads, and then Junior looked down at Eddie, who started wagging his tail at the attention. Junior patted Eddie on the head (which Eddie always appreciated from Junior), before saying, "I have an idea."

"What?" Tani asked, her voice higher pitched than normal.

Licking his lips, Junior gave Eddie a long look and then told the others, "Eddie can find out whether they left the building or not. At least that way we'll know what our search radius has to be."

Nodding, Tani told him, "Yeah, good. Let's do that."

Junior kneeled down, looking Eddie right in the eye. Eddie gave him a kiss, because it was important that Junior know how much Eddie loved him. "Hey, boy. I want you to find Steve, okay? Find Steve."

Find Steve? Eddie could do that!

He gave a little bark to tell Junior that he understood, and then put his nose down and started sniffing. The first trail of Steve's he caught led Eddie back into Steve's office. He circled the office, looking for the freshest scent and found it, following it out the other door of the office and toward the door out of the whole department.

Junior, Tani, and Jerry all followed Eddie to the elevators, where Eddie stopped, sitting down to let Junior know the trail led here. "Okay," Junior said, pushing the elevator button. He scratched behind Eddie's left ear and told the people, "I think we should stop at each floor, see if Eddie can figure out where Steve got off."

"You don't think he went right to the ground floor?" Tani asked him.

"I think we'd waste more time searching if we assumed that."

Tani made a gesture that Eddie didn't recognize, but when the elevator opened, Junior told him, "C'mon boy. C'mon in." When Eddie did so, Junior said, "Good boy," and petted Eddie's head again.

Yes! Eddie was a good boy!

When the elevator doors opened, Junior kneeled down and asked Eddie, "Did Steve go this way? Find Steve."

Eddie sniffed the floor around the elevator opening, but he didn't smell Steve nearly as strongly as he did in the elevator, so he turned around.

"Guess not," Tani said.

They tried a couple more floors, and after each one, Junior told Eddie he was a good boy. This was a great day!

Eventually they got down to the basement, and this was where Eddie found a fresh trail. "Looks like he didn't leave the building after all," Jerry said as the people followed Eddie through the basement.

"Do we have anyone down in rendition?" Tani asked. Eddie didn't notice if anyone answered her. He passed by a door, and then another. Tani said, "I guess not."

At the end of the hallway, there was a door that smelled like chemicals, but not like the ones he used to look for when he worked with Lazio. These smelled more like the floors, after the person with the mop came through. In any case, the door smelled like those chemicals, and like Steve. Eddie sat down, looking up at Junior to wait for his pets and praise.

Instead, Junior reached for the handle of the door and pulled it open. Inside, Steve was there with Danny. They were hugging and giving each other kisses.

"Oh," Junior said softly, before saying, "Oh!" louder and covering his eyes. "Excuse me, sirs!"

Steve stood very still, his eyes wide and his mouth open, but Danny cried, "Get the hell out of here!" and pulled the door closed again.

Eddie sulked, because Danny closed the door and he was on the wrong side of it. This was added to the fact that Junior still hadn't given Eddie the pats he'd earned. Eddie looked up at Junior hopefully, but that didn't work, because he was focused on the other people.

"I guess they didn't get kidnapped," Jerry told the others.

"Yeah, I guess not." Tani walked past Junior and knocked on the door. "Hey, guys? A little tip for you? If you want to sneak away for a little workplace nookie, take your phones with you, okay? Make up an excuse or something? We thought you were in trouble."

"Point taken. Just…" Steve said from the other side of the door. "Just go back up to HQ, okay? We'll be there in a minute."

"A minute," Tani repeated, smiling over her shoulder at Junior. "Just one minute! I'm timing you!"

Junior laughed, covering his mouth with one hand and finally petting Eddie with the other. He looked down at Eddie and said, "C'mon, boy. Mom and Dad want some privacy."

Through the door, Eddie heard Danny mutter, "I am _not_ that dog's mother. If anything, you are."

Steve made an amused sort of noise, but if he said anything back, Eddie was too far away to hear it. He was following Junior back to the elevator, thinking about the jar of treats in Steve's office and wondering if he could get Junior to give him one.

* * *

Eddie was asleep in his bed, next to Steve’s bed, when a noise woke him. He perked up his ears and listened. It sounded like a lot of footsteps, and maybe a scuffle. While footsteps in the middle of the night weren’t unusual now that he and Steve moved to this big house, the sounds of a scuffle were unusual.

The sounds didn’t sit easy with Eddie, so he got out of bed to see what was going on. He noticed Steve, still sleeping in his bed, his familiar heartbeat slow and steady. Eddie used his snout to ease the bedroom door open. The first outside-the-room smell he noticed was Danny's aftershave. He must have been on duty that night.

The next smell Eddie noticed was blood.

Blood smells did funny things to Eddie's mind. On the one hand, good, uncooked meat tasted bloody. On the other hand, so did getting hurt. Eddie didn't want any of _his_ people getting hurt.

Excited by the possibility of a chase, Eddie bounded from the room, his nose low as he tried to follow the scent of blood. Before he got to the source, heavy footsteps alerted Eddie to the presence of a person. As the person's scent reached Eddie's nose, he realized that it was an unfamiliar person. A stranger.

Eddie growled in a warning, and when the person turned a corner, coming into the room, Eddie knew for sure that he didn't belong here. Barking loud to alert everyone of the stranger's presence, Eddie put himself between the stranger and Steve. As the man approached, Eddie snarled and snapped at him. He almost got his arm, too, but the stranger brought something heavy down on Eddie's head.

Stunned, Eddie fell as his legs collapsed under him. His eyes couldn't focus and his legs wouldn't move and his voice wouldn't work. The stranger was getting past him.

The stranger was getting to Steve!

~*~

When Eddie woke up again, it was with a pained growl. His head hurt and he had to fight back against whatever was doing it!

"Shh, shh," whispered a voice, and the smell around Eddie was familiar. Not the stranger, then. It was Danny! "You okay, boy?"

Eddie put his feet underneath him and tried to get past Danny, but the man held him close. Eddie whined.

"It's not safe," Danny said, holding onto Eddie's collar. "Someone hurt you, and Steve…"

At the mention of his person, Eddie whined again and broke free from Danny's hold, charging back into the bedroom. He put his front paws up on the bed and shoved his head under the covers, looking for Steve.

He wasn't there!

"Oh, god," Danny's voice said from behind Eddie. "Steve? Steve?"

Eddie whined again, following as Danny looked into the bathroom. It was also empty.

"Shit." Danny's heart was going so fast, Eddie could barely make out the separate beats. "Can you follow him? Find Steve? Find Steve, buddy?"

Eddie knew that command!

He put his nose down and focused on following Steve's scent. His scent was all over this building all the time, but Eddie knew how to follow the freshest source of it. He knew how to find his person.

Danny followed behind, talking into his radio. "The Seal is missing. I repeat, the Seal is missing. Does anyone have eyes on him?"

"Negative," someone else said over Danny's radio. Eddie tried to tune out the radio when he was following a scent, because it distracted him from his job. Sometimes, he couldn't help but hear it, despite his efforts to be a good boy.

"Hanamoa is down!" This voice sounded like Tani, who Eddie liked. She gave him treats whenever he wasn't working. "Someone get a medic to the Residence!"

Eddie turned a corner and found Tani, and the source of blood. The smell was strong, and Eddie didn't like how slow the hurt man's heart was beating. Still, he had a job to do.

Eddie circled that portion of the hallway quickly, until he was sure he had the freshest trail, and followed it, trusting that the humans would do their jobs. Eddie just had to do his.

In fact, he'd expected Danny to stay back with Tani and help out the hurt man, but Danny followed right behind him. Danny had his gun up. Eddie didn't like guns – they were so loud they hurt his ears – but he'd been trained to do his work, even if they started going off.

Steve's trail led to one of the side doors, which was closed. Eddie whined and scratched at the door, barely having to wait at all before Danny got it open for him. Outside the door was a path that led to a road where cars usually sat. There was a car there now, and next to it a fight was going on.

"I got eyes on Seal," Danny said in a low voice, commanding Eddie to stay next to him with a soft whistle and a hand gesture that Eddie recognized. "East Drive. East Drive. Everyone converge. The Seal is … god damn it! The Seal is engaged in hand-to-hand combat with at least four unknown assailants. All back-up report to the East Drive!"

Then Danny told Eddie, "Okay, boy. Let's you and me move in. Ready?"

Eddie's body wiggled with the war between wanting to defend his master, and obeying Danny's command to heel. He gave a soft _woof_ to tell Danny he was more than ready.

"Go, Eddie, go!"

Eddie burst forward, running as fast as his legs could carry him toward Steve, and toward the people who were trying to hurt Steve. His legs burned and his lungs were on fire, but none of that mattered as long as he got to Steve on time. A gunshot from behind Eddie almost startled him out of his run, but he managed to hold on and keep going.

Eddie was still thirty yards out when one of the people hit Steve on the back of the head. Surely Steve was better and stronger than that hit, but Eddie was soon disappointed. Steve reeled and in those few seconds, the people got him into the car and started driving off.

Just getting into his stride as his muscles stretched and woke up, Eddie chased the car. He almost caught up to it before the engine kicked in and it started to outpace him. However, Eddie wasn't going to give up that easily.

Behind him, Danny said, "The Seal has been taken! Late-model black SUV on the East drive. Be careful with your firepower. The Seal is on board! I need ground and air support now, now, now!"

An explosion startled Eddie and he noticed a fireball rising over the lawn at the corner of his eye. The only reason he didn’t stop to look at it was that Steve was getting away. People were taking Steve away!

“Jesus!” cried Danny. “Tell me that wasn’t the helicopter!”

“It absolutely _was_ the helicopter,” said Junior’s voice over the radio. “Jerry’s working our emergency protocols with D.C. Metro and Andrews AFB. We’ll get air support soon.”

“They’re going too take to long to get here!” Danny yelled. The tone in his voice made Eddie restless. It was a relief when Danny whistled at him and yelled, “C’mon, boy!”

They ran together to Danny’s car, Eddie hopping in when Danny opened the door. In five seconds flat, he had the car started and barreling after Steve. When Eddie pawed at the window, Danny opened it for him.

Sticking his head out of the window, Eddie took big sniffs of the air, searching for Steve's scent. He couldn't quite get it, but as they reached the end of the drive, Danny cried, "There!", and turned right out onto the street. Now that they were behind the car, Eddie caught a good whiff of what it smelled like. It didn't have too much to differentiate it from all the other cars on the road, but there was _something_ there that he latched onto.

Suddenly, the car ahead of them made an unexpected turn. Danny swore and drove up to the next break in the median to make a U-turn. By the time they made their way back to where the car had disappeared, it was out of sight. Eddie stuck his head out of the window again, searching for Steve. Searching for his person.

When the scent of the car started to wane, Eddie barked desperately. Danny slowed down, but he didn't seem to understand what Eddie wanted him to do. Frustrated, Eddie jumped out the open window and followed his nose back the way they'd come. He heard the Camaro turn around again behind him, and was vaguely aware of Danny pacing him, yelling out his window.

Eddie tore down the street, turning when the scent of the car turned. They took a few more turns, and then there it was! The car sat in traffic, just waiting at a red light like it was any other car, but Eddie knew better. Before he could run up to the car, Danny pulled up beside him and hissed.

"Hey, get in here, Eddie."

Eddie spared him a glance, whining and turning back toward the car that had Steve.

"Yeah, I see it too. But we've got to play this cool. We don't have any backup. They could hurt Steve if they make us before we're ready to move."

The thought of Steve being hurt made Eddie want to throw himself on the ground in despair.

"Yeah, so get in the car, bud."

Eddie was a good boy. He got back in the car.

Danny pulled into traffic, half a block back from the black SUV that had taken Steve away. They followed along for what felt like forever. At one point, Eddie thought about jumping out again, but Danny had rolled the window up just far enough that Eddie wasn't going to fit through. He knew Eddie needed some help staying a good boy.

~*~

Eventually, they ended up at the docks. Danny kept the Camaro back as the SUV pulled onto a pier and up unto a barge full of shipping containers. "Oh, great. A boat," Danny said, pulling the Camaro back. He put the car next to a stack of shipping containers and called in their location.

Eddie had too much energy to be cooped up in a car like this. He tried to be good, tried to stay still, but the best he could do was a shallow wiggle as he shifted his weight back and forth on his back feet. Danny's hand settled on the back of Eddie's neck, scratching fingers through Eddie's fur and calming him down.

After he was done talking to Jerry, Danny turned to Eddie. "Okay, boy. I think we're going to have to go in before backup gets here. There's no telling what they could do to Steve before the cavalry arrives. What do you think? Can you help me find Steve?"

Eddie woofed in agreement, shifting his weight back and forth faster with excitement. Eddie did want to find Steve!

"Okay. We're going to have to be quiet. They've got the numbers. We're going to have to have the element of surprise. Can you do that? Can you be quiet?"

Quiet! Eddie knew that word! He smiled and put his paw on Danny's arm, but he didn't woof this time. Danny wanted him to be quiet.

"Exactly." Danny sighed and pulled his gun from the holster on his belt. He opened the door and slid out, eyes up, looking for enemies. He held the door open long enough for Eddie to jump out, and then he closed it with a quiet click. Crouching down, Danny whispered, "Okay, Eddie. Let's work together. You find Steve as best you can. I'm going to keep us out of sight the best I can. With me?"

Eddie pawed at Danny's shoe. He was ready.

Together, they moved toward the ship. Eddie knew the scent of the SUV, but it wasn't long before he caught Steve's scent on the air too. They had taken him out of the car! Eddie almost got too excited, but Danny caught hold of his collar and made a shushing noise. "Hold up here. Stay."

Eddie stayed, as much as it pained him to watch Danny moving forward without him. A few seconds later, Eddie heard a scuffle, and then Danny was dragging a body back toward him. Danny checked on the man, and then told Eddie, "Come on."

Steve's scent started to get stronger and stronger. They were almost there when two enemies surprised them. Danny shot one of them, and ducked when the other one shot back at him. Eddie knew that at this short distance, he had a good chance, even though the man had a gun. The risk was worth it to get to Steve. He leaped forward and grabbed the man's gun arm in his mouth, biting down hard.

The man screamed, but Eddie knew how to dig his teeth in and not let himself be shook off. Danny followed Eddie, grabbing at the man and taking his gun away from him. When Danny had the man's other arm tucked against his back, Danny said, "Okay, Eddie. Let go, boy!"

Eddie let go. He licked the blood from his lips and teeth, fighting the urge to bite the man again. Danny said no. Danny would tell Steve what a good boy Eddie had been. Eddie was a good boy.

Eddie was a good boy who had his person's scent in his nose! He put his nose down, following the traces of Steve away from Danny. Danny was busy, and Eddie had to get to Steve. He was careful, though. He kept track of footsteps, making sure to hide as best he could if any got too close.

More gunshots came from back where he'd left Danny, and Eddie would have been concerned for Danny, if he wasn't so close to finding the source of Steve's scent. The trail led him into a big box. He thought he remembered the people calling boxes like this shipping containers. If the trail led into the shipping container, did that mean Steve was _inside_ the container?

Eddie stuck his nose against the container door, sniffing as best he could and yes. He was sure of it. Steve was inside the container. Why didn’t he come out?

Looking at the door, Eddie could see some sort of bar blocking the doorway. He’d been trained how to open doors, but this one looked tricky. Still, his person was trapped and in danger! Eddie has to at least try.

He pawed at something that sort of looked lever-shaped, and it moved with a loud screeching noise that hurt Eddie’s ears. He didn’t let a painful noise stop him. He nosed at the bar after it turned, unlatching the door, and then carefully opening it.

“What the–” said an unfamiliar voice from inside the container, and as Eddie’s eyes adjusted to the dim light he heard the sounds of a fight. Then he saw Steve. His person!

Steve’s eyes went wide, a signal that Eddie knew meant surprise, and then without warning, Steve sprang into action. He rammed the man standing beside him into the wall of the container with his shoulder, getting his wrists out of the rope tied around them at the same time.

Eddie jumped in to help, conscious of his training and making sure only to bite the bad guy, not Steve. The guy’s gun clattered to the metal floor of the container and Eddie got his teeth around the guy’s ankle. He swore and tried to kick Eddie away, but Steve stopped him.

“Who hired you?” Steve asked the bad man, his voice sounding strange and hoarse. “Who hired you to take me?”

“Ah!” the bad guy cried, whimpering like prey. “Get this dog off me, man! He’s killing me!”

“It takes several hours to bleed out from an untreated ankle wound.” Eddie wasn’t sure that those words meant, but he liked the hungry tone in Steve’s voice. “Tell me who hired you and I’ll make sure you don’t die at all, huh?”

Before the guy could respond, gunfire erupted from right outside the container. Eddie put himself between Steve and the door, focusing on his mission above everything else, including his own safety. Steve's safety was more important. After all, Steve was Eddie's person.

A few more gunshots made Eddie anxious, but this was it. He was ready to be a good dog. He was going to be the best dog.

The door opened.

Eddie got ready to jump, to put himself between the bad guys and Steve.

The face in the doorway…

Was familiar.

It was Danny!

Eddie barked happily, jumping forward but only to press his head to Danny's hip in welcome. Danny would see that Eddie found Steve. Danny would be proud.

"Hey," Danny said, taking one of his hands from his gun and using it to pat Eddie's head. Oh yeah. That was the stuff! "The scene is secure."

"I got this one," Steve told him, shaking the bad guy a little before reaching for Danny. Eddie's two people shared a kiss and Oh Boy! It was time for kisses!

Eddie barked when it was clear that his people were keeping all the kisses for themselves. They broke apart and looked down at him before Steve laughed and handed the bad guy to Danny. "Hey, boy. Who's a good boy, Eddie? Who's a good boy?" Steve crouched down, taking Eddie's face in his hands. Yay! Kisses!

"Oh, jeez," Steve said, but his voice was thick and sleepy. Eddie opened his eyes and he wasn't in a shipping container anymore. He was at home, in Steve's bed. "I was sleeping, boy."

Raising his head, Eddie looked around some more. Everything was where it should have been. Steve was in bed, eyes closed, but his hand was absently scratching the fur on Eddie's shoulder. Danny was sleeping behind Steve, his arm over Steve's waist. Everyone was safe and not hurt at all.

When Eddie looked at Steve, he had one eye open, watching Eddie. "You okay, Eddie?"

Still confused, Eddie whined. What happened?

"You gotta go out?"

Eddie's ears perked up at the word "out", and he forgot his confusion. Scrambling to his feet, he jumped down onto the floor. When Steve wasn't right behind him, Eddie turned and set his chin on the bed, giving Steve the look that always made him do things.

It worked.

After they came back inside, Eddie curled up in his own bed in the corner and dreamed about winning a medal. After all, he did save Steve's life. His Steve might not actually be President. That must have been a dream. But if Steve ever became the president, Eddie was sure he could save his life in that situation, too. After all, Eddie was the best boy.


End file.
